Lincoln Story Book, The

<h3>GENERAL McCLELLAN'S OPINION OF LINCOLN AS A LAWYER.</h3> <p>The whirligig of time brings about strange revenges, for a truth. General McClellan was chosen to visit the seat of the Crimean War to study the siege operations about Sebastopol. Returning and seeing no prospects in the air--of his professional line--he became superintendent of the Illinois Central Railroad Company. He was acting for its president in December, 1855, when a bill was laid under his eyes. It was the demand of Abraham Lincoln, of the law firm of Lincoln &amp; Herndon, Springfield, Illinois.</p> <p>The firm had offered in October to act for the company to defend a suit brought by McLean County. Lincoln had won it. To prevent any demurrer about the fee of one thousand dollars, a fourth of that having been paid for the retainer, he had six members of the bar append their names to testify the charge was usual and just. Nevertheless Superintendent McClellan refused to pay, alleging that:</p> <p>"This is as much as a first-class lawyer would charge!"</p> <p>You see, Mr. Lincoln was still but "the one-horse lawyer of a one-horse town." <br/> <br/> <br/></p> <div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />